I have made my triumphant return to blogging with a recipe for one my favorite snacks! Salty, sour, crunchy, sometimes sweet, sometimes spicy, I’m talking about pickles! I know what you’re thinking… “Aren’t pickles difficult to make and require special equipment?” That’s what I thought for the longest time, and then I learned about refrigerator pickles (fridge pickles).
Traditionally, pickles are made using pressure canning, where boiling the filled jars for hours seals and sterilizes the jars so they’re shelf-stable and don’t have to be refrigerated until after opening. I don’t like pressure-canned pickles because the process of sealing the jars also cooks the vegetables inside the jars so they’re no longer vibrant and snappy, just kind of brown and not-snappy.
Instead, I make refrigerator pickles! They must be kept cold and don’t last long, but they don’t last long in my house, anyway. Each batch of pickles will last about 6 weeks in the fridge, and I use a much easier sealing process for my jars. After each jar is filled with hot brine and lidded, I put them in an ice-bath which quickly cools the contents and forces the extra air out to pressurize the jar. In the twenty-something jars of pickles I’ve made so far, I think only two failed to seal using the ice bath method. Obviously, I threw those two jars’ contents away in case they weren’t safe.
Fridge pickles will be ready to consume in three days after they’re made, and will be most delicious a week after they’ve been made when they’ve had time to absorb as much brine as they can handle. You can pickle just about anything, and I encourage you to experiment with different vegetables and seasonings. Check out my video for making fridge pickles above, and get the full instructions below!
Ingredients-
Brine:
2 c. white vinegar
1 c. apple cider vinegar
2 c. filtered water
3 tbsp. coarse kosher salt
1 tbsp. sugar
Vegetables:
Your choice of-
Carrots
Fresh Peas
Cucumbers (Kirby or Persian recommended)
Cauliflower
Peppers
Okra
…and many more!
Seasonings:
Your choice of-
Dry dill seed
Fresh dill weed
Red pepper flake
Mustard seed
Fresh spicy peppers (serrano, jalapeño, etc.)
Dry seeds and barks (cinnamon, anise, fennel, cloves, etc.)
Equipment:
Jars
Lids
Funnel
Directions:
- Prepare chosen vegetables by washing and cutting.
- Stuff vegetables into jars of desired sizes. Season as desired with dry herbs and spices, fresh spicy peppers, or additional sugar if making a sweet pickle.
- Combine all ingredients for brine in a pot over medium-low heat (3.5/10). Brine quantity can be multiplied or halved depending on amount of pickles being made.
- Using a funnel, pour hot brine over vegetables in jars. Clean the rim of the jar if necessary and twist the lid tightly over the opening of the jar.
- Shake any excess air into the headspace of the jar. Brine should still cover all vegetables in the jar. If tops of vegetables are exposed, open the jar and add more brine before re-sealing lid.
- Use an ice bath to quickly cool and pressure-seal the lids on the jars. Store jars in the fridge.
- Pickles will be ready to enjoy in 3 days, and will be at peak flavor a week after making. Keep fridge pickles for up to 6 weeks after making.
- IF PICKLES DID NOT PRESSURIZE, DO NOT CONSUME! The first opening of a lid should require some effort with an audible pop. If lid doesn’t pop, throw all the contents of that jar away, pickles and brine.
- Enjoy homemade pickles straight out of the jar, on a sandwich, or as a tasty mix-in for salads and snacks! Save the pickle juice to make your next batch of pickles, or to use as a chaser for whiskey, or to prevent heat-cramps for athletes.
So that’s how you make your own pickles at home! It’s a great project for an afternoon with weeks of return in the form of delicious, crunchy, sour, salty, juicy, delectable pickles! Homemade pickles are an excellent topping for your favorite burger or sandwich, and your pickle-loving friends would love to be gifted a jar of these.
Try making a few jars of fridge pickles at home and let me know how it turns out! Please leave your thoughts in a comment below, or get in touch with me directly by filling out the form on the contact page.
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